Eleventh Regular Session of the Commisson on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) is currently holding its 11th Regular Session in Rome, until the 15th of June. The CGRFA is a permanent forum where governments discuss and negotiate matters relevant to genetic resources for food and agriculture. Its main objectives are to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilization of genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use, for present and future generations. The Commission reviews and advises FAO on policy, programmes and activities, as well as deals with sectorial and cross-sectorial matters related to the conservation and utilization of genetic resources for food and agriculture. The Commission is also responsible for developing and monitoring the Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources; and the Global System for Plant Genetic Resources (CGRFA homepage, www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa).


The Agenda of the 11th Regular Session of the CGRFA is intended to discuss and adopt the Multi-Year Program of Work (MYPOW). The MYPOW will essentially allow the Commission to identify issues it may wish to address, in order to implement its full mandate, and to incorporate these in a planned programme of work (cgrfa-11/07/2).


SEARICE has been actively monitoring and participating in local to international platforms that would greatly affect and impact on the rights of farmers, specifically their rights to plant genetic resources in food and agriculture.


SEARICE recognizes the importance and relevance of having the MYPOW to strengthen the commission's capacity to act effectively, especially on the programme of work on agricultural biodiversity. SEARICE is working together with other civil society organizations attending the 11th CGRFA in bringing forth the issues on Plant Genetic Resources, Animal Genetic Resources, the Draft Code of Conduct on Biotechnology and the Guiding Pronciples of the CGIAR, among others.


The IISD also posts daily news bulletin on the negotiations - http://www.iisd.ca/biodiv/cgfra11/